Some of you may remember that a little over a year ago, Father Paul, Doug Rasler, and I flew to Denver to participate in the Amazing Parish conference. To put it mildly, it really was an amazing event! With well over a thousand parish leaders crammed into the main ball room of the Hyatt Regency, we experienced the best of what our faith has to offer: reverent, yet joyful celebrations of the Holy Eucharist, the sacrament of Reconciliation administered by many priests from throughout the Archdiocese, a Eucharistic procession and adoration with popular Catholic singer, Matt Maher, leading the praise, stories of compassionate parishes dramatically winning large numbers of both young and old for Christ and his Church!Needless to say, we also listened and learned a great deal (far more than can be conveyed in a short article). But, there are a few things that can be shared. Among them are the seven traits of an amazing parish…A reliance on prayer, A real leadership team, A clear vision and plan, A great Sunday experience, Compelling formation, Small group discipleship, Missionary zealSo far, I can think of two out of these seven traits that we have begun to develop: small group discipleship and the beginnings of a leadership team that is dedicated to advancing our parish “from maintenance to mission”. The first of these happened almost right away. Father Paul asked Sarah Adams to head up a women’s small group discipleship initiative. Sarah immediately felt the Holy Spirit move her and out of that encounter came Walking with Purpose which has brought many of our women – both young and old – into a deeper relationship with Jesus and each other. What’s more, these small discipleship groups are proving to be more than just a temporary flash in the pan, but look to be a permanent feature of Holy Redeemer.The second amazing parish trait is taking a little longer to come together, but that’s as it should be. Before our change in pastoral leadership this past January, Father Paul quietly assembled a small core group of leaders to begin to discuss the development of a clear parish vision and outreach plan for Holy Redeemer. Now that Father Jason has six months under his belt as our new pastor, he has expressed a desire to move forward with what was started under Father Paul’s leadership. So, this fall I think you can expect to hear more about the remaking of our parish from “already-good” to “amazing”!Obviously, there is a lot of work to be done. Being amazing is an elusive quality that can only be approached and never quite achieved. What’s more any movement in that direction will all depend on the first of the seven traits – our reliance on prayer and our subsequent willingness to do what the Lord prompts; to go where he asks us to go. That said, I believe that the people of Holy Redeemer have the desire – even the enthusiasm – to go there.So, let’s begin with the first trait now: Lord, make us what You want us to be!Yours in Him,Deacon Vince